A Jacksonville man has been charged with 17 counts of possessing dogs used for animal fighting in a joint investigation by the Humane Society and police.

Willie B. Coleman, 69, was arrested and the animals were confiscated Wednesday at Coleman’s Kennels, operated from a home at 9215 Norfolk Blvd.

At least some of the rescued dogs have scarring and injuries, including mutilated faces. The dogs ranged in age from juveniles to adults.

“Some had pretty extensive injuries,” said Chris Schindler, who oversees animal fighting investigations for the Humane Society of the United States and was at the kennel.

All of the dogs were American pit bull terriers, Schindler said.

The case has been under investigation for more than a year, he said.

Because of a danger they could be stolen, the Humane Society will not reveal where the dogs will be taken, though they will most likely be moved out of Florida. They will be evaluated by animal behavior experts to determine whether they can be adopted.

Dogs with a reputation for winning less than a handful of fights can fetch $5,000 or more, Schindler said.

The single-family house where the kennel is located is surrounded by fencing, including a street-front chain link fence topped with three strands of barbed wire. One dog was in the front yard and others were chained or in wooden enclosures behind the house when investigators served a search warrant, Schindler said.

“You wouldn’t have been able to see them from the road,” he said.

Kimberly Kelly has lived behind Coleman for four years. She said Coleman stayed to himself and that there was never an issue of animals escaping.

“When I’d leave for work, he’d be out there feeding them and cleaning,” she said. “They bark early in the morning. Other than that I don’t hear anything.”

It saddens me to say that several times my husband, while out walking or in the car at a stoplight, has been offered money for our dog and told, "You could make some money with that one..." I hope a bust like this lessens the frequency of such "offers." It is interesting that I have never been approached.

The American Pit Bull Terrier is an excellent breed and I happen to own one but what's not excellent are people like this guy fighting or training these dogs to fight. Because of ghetto trash like this the rest of us have to fight for the protection of this breed from BSL. I can't tell you how it makes my skin crawl to see some thug with their shorts hanging down around their knees walking an APBT down the side of the road on my way to work in Jacksonville. I know that if there's ever a ban put on this breed in Jacksonville it will be because of a certain culture of people. You know who I'm talking about. Nobody wants you here!

When it comes to the whale, yes, free Willie. But when it comes to this Willie, he needs to be put down. What a lowlife creep. Hope the doggies can all be found loving homes that they deserve, particularly after the nightmare they have gone through.